Visual Arts

Many of the Coachella Valley’s larger art galleries tend to hibernate during the summer heat. The (relative) exodus of tourists provides time for them to prepare new exhibitions for the fall. But the need to experience art doesn’t go on vacation—and this time of year provides art-lovers with a great opportunity to shift focus and find art in public settings and smaller venues that promote local talent. In Palm Springs, the “Lucy Ricardo” sculpture by Emmanuil Snitkovsky sits on a bench near the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at 211 S. Palm Canyon Drive, while the “Rainmaker” sculpture by David Morris inspires in Frances Stevens Park at 500 N. Palm Canyon Drive. There are also impressive works called “Monsieur Pompadour” and “Mademoiselle Coco” by Karen and Tony Barone greeting people at the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, 4575 E. Mesquite Ave. In Palm Desert, you can stroll through four acres of…

One of the best things that can happen when you experience art is to be surprised. It’s the artist’s job to transcend expectations and push you in new directions of thought and emotion. You don’t need to have any prerequisite art knowledge for this to happen; however, you must trust that those who choose to present their art have something to say. You can end up enlightened or repulsed—but if you are genuinely surprised, you may find out more about yourself through the art. This may very well happen at Pat Lasch: Journeys of the Heart, now on display at the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, The Galen. This is her first major exhibition, covering 43 years as an artist, and the intense biographical thread of feminist-driven art sculptures becomes more than the cakes and dresses you may have seen in photographs. Lasch’s work, in fine detail, covers…

The Backstreet Art District, tucked away against the mountains off East Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, may be hard to find, but once you make the discovery, you will encounter a diverse collection of galleries where you can meet artists, wander through working studios—and possibly find that perfect piece of art. The various galleries on Cherokee Way have their own hours and showing times, but they all come together to hold an Art Walk on the first Wednesday of every month, from 6 to 9 p.m., bringing together artists, gallery owners and prospective patrons. Kelly Truscott, from Artize Gallery, explained how this collective got started. “Backstreet was born by accident in the year 2000, when three artists had left their door unlocked one day, which resulted in people coming into their space,” she said. After meeting the artists and getting the backstory behind the art, these intruders bought some…

Whenever a family of artists works collectively, it’s natural to both be intrigued by individual works, and curious about the sum of their creative endeavors. When the family’s works are gathered together in one place, the art can be put into perspective—even if that perspective is shaped by one’s personal taste in art. If you find yourself at the end of an El Paseo shopping spree or dining adventure, it would be well worth your while to wander into Heather James Fine Art to visit the intriguing exhibit Art of the Wyeth Family, which will be on display through June. The exhibit features artwork by N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) and his many talented family members and descendants, spanning three generations. Included are works by N.C. Wyeth’s children Henriette, Carolyn, Ann and Andrew (a National Medal of Arts winner who, in 2011-2012, was the subject of a retrospective at the Palm Springs…

You are in an art gallery, taking in all the intricacies of a certain painting, when you overhear someone say: “My 4-year old could do that.” It’s that kind of broad-stroke dismissal that many women painters in the 1940s and 1950s experienced in the art world. Although many women had thriving art careers at that time, they were never taken as seriously as their male counterparts. Today, the exhibition Women of Abstract Expressionism, at the Palm Springs Art Museum through May 28, shows just how influential the works of these artists was and is. The exhibit contains more than 50 major paintings by 12 artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 20th century, an era recognized as the first fully American modern-art movement. Curated by Gwen Chanzit of the Denver Art Museum, it’s the only exhibition to present works by these artists together. Chanzit told artnet News, “Except for…

An estimated 450,000 people attend March’s BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament … so what do the other 434,000 people do when the tournament has narrowed down to action in just Stadium 1? One possible answer: They head over to the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa for the second annual Spectrum Indian Wells Art Show, taking place Thursday, March 16, through Sunday, March 19. Lisa Ashinoff is just one of the many artists participating in the juried contemporary arts show. The Virginia Beach, Va., resident studied art at Bard College and Florida International University. Why is she taking part in an art show so far away from home? “My body of work is a good fit out there,” she said. Actually, her work—paintings and drawings of cityscapes and dreamscapes—has been shown in Palm Springs before, which should come as no surprise, since she describes her work as “a mixture of…